EQUIPMENT USED FOR

THE BEER
CLARIFICATION
Prepared by Honchar Iryna
Brewing process and main waste. 
 When Beer Must Be Clear

◦ Clear beer is primarily achieved by removing yeast and minimizing the

production of haze-producing compounds during the brew session. When these
preventive measures can’t do the job, filtration remains a good option.
◦  The most common ways to achieve a clear pint include using natural
sedimentation/cold conditioning, the addition of finings, and
filtration/centrifugation. Although natural sedimentation and the use of finings
are simple and attractive methods of obtaining brilliant beer, sometimes
filtration makes perfect sense. This article explores the natural and process-
oriented solutions to beer haze and ventures into that sometimes taboo realm
— filtration.
 Beer clarification
◦ Green beer produced in the fermentation tanks works its way
into storage tanks. The upstream separator clarifies the green
beer to ensure constant conditions in secondary fermentation:
The required yeast cell counts are set by the brewers to define
the secondary fermentation in the storage tanks.
◦ How long the filter lasts depends on the quality of the raw
materials and the yeast load. Most of the yeast can be removed
from the beer by the Flottweg Separator before filtration. This
prolongs the filter life and means filter aids such kieselguhr do
not need to be procured, handled, and disposed. Beer
evaporation, cleaning, and wastewater costs are reduced.
 ◦ When the Flottweg separator is used for final
clarification, the beer’s turbidity is predefined before
bottling. Turbidity measurements taken at the inflow
and outflow monitor the yeast concentration, thereby
regulating the turbidity adjustment in a fully
automated manner to ensure uniform quality.
◦ FLOTATION- One of the most modern methods used
in recent years for this purpose is flotation. It is based
on the ability of hydrophobic, water-insoluble
particles to adhere to gas bubbles and rise to the
surface, forming a foam that can be easily removed in
the process. It is imperative to use pectolytic enzymes
to process the wort before fermentation with various
clarifying materials: bentonite, gelatin, and silikogel.
The basis of any flotation plant is cylindrical stainless
steel tanks of various sizes.
 FLOTATION METHODS

◦ mechanical, with the help of a mixing device located inside in the form of
blades enclosed in a ring. This design creates vortex flows that break the
incoming gas into bubbles.
◦ pneumatic, when mixing occurs by saturating the wort coming from aerators
under gas pressure
◦ pneumomechanical, combining both methods. In this case, the gas is first fed
into the wort through pipes, and then mixed with a mixer.
 The technological process consists of the following
basic operations:

◦ Gelatin, enzymes, enzymes or other sealing substances are introduced into the
settled wort to accelerate the flotation and compact the resulting foam.
◦ The mass is fed by pumps to a flotation unit, in which the wort is saturated
with air or carbon dioxide under pressure and mixed.
◦ As a result of surface tension, solid particles stick to gas bubbles, rise upward,
forming a purified liquid and a foamy mass. The liquid goes through the
pipeline for further processing, and the foam is removed from the tank.
FLOTATOR intended for clarification of wort in the stream. Installations of
various productivity are produced: 800,1500.3000 dal \ hour
 DEVICE TYPES

◦ The installation is equipped with pumps, branch pipes for supply and discharge of wort
and foam, measuring equipment, and an automation system.
There are two main types of flotation devices:
◦ Continuous flotation machine. It is used in large wineries. The technology is as
follows: the separated haze enters the autonomous tank located in the main tank, collects
at the level of its middle, and is fed to the vacuum filters with the help of suction pumps.
The cleaned wort is constantly pumped out.
◦ Batch flotation machine. The process proceeds according to the principle of the basic
version - the clean liquid settles at the bottom and is pumped out through the pipes, and
the foam is removed from the top. The unit is then sanitized until next use. This device is
mainly used in small wineries.
 ADVANTAGES
◦ high, up to 99% degree of wort
purification
◦ the process of wort clarification is
accelerated
◦ energy saving
◦ increasing the productivity of the winery
◦ reduction of the number of stainless steel
tanks involved in the wort clarification
process
◦ increasing the transparency and color
purity of the final product
◦ significant, up to 0%, decrease in the
likelihood of fermentation
◦ the possibility of complete automation of
process control and its simplicity
◦ significantly reduce the loss of wort (by 8-10
times) during processing of the "cap" formed
as a result of flotation on vacuum drum
filters
◦ relatively low cost of installation in
comparison with improving the quality of
manufactured products